so the results of the poll are in, and from now on i will be switching to mediafire. eventually all existing rapidshare links will be replaced. i've just received a load of goodies from a friend so watch this space for a load of records you wish you owned. p.s. my starter for 10 post got deleted so sod that idea.
i haven't written about elevate since 2006, so to rectify that, here's a single taken from their brilliant debut album "bronzee", which takes the american slint-inspired post rock sound and kicks it into shape. 7" released by flower shop in 1995. get it.
i realise rapidshare can be a pain in the arse for non-premium users, so i'm thinking about switching to mediafire, which has the added bonus of being able to handle files over 100mb. which do you prefer? here's a poll widget >>>
touring partners of both cable and elevate, southend's understand present here a pretty polished take on melodic hardcore/punk rock, pretty similar to samiam in fact. listening to it now probably at least 10 years since the last time, it's not quite as good as i remember it. maybe it's because i'm not as excitable as i once was, or maybe my attention span has shrunk too far to spend the time it deserves. either way, i would love to have heard them without the major label sheen, preferably in somewhere like the garage in london after a few [...]
we don't like it when bands get successful. this is certainly the case with coldplay. it seems they're the band everyone lines up to hate, largely because their music appeals to a large number of people. but i've always had a soft spot for them, ever since the "shiver" single. so here's their first 7" single (though not their first release). "shows promise" i expect lots of people said at the time. comes in the customary awful fierce panda sleeve (honestly, whoever does/did their artwork should be shot). 7" released by fierce panda in [...]
one of this year's record store day specials. not sure i need to say anything more. you want it. ::: the flaming lips/stardeath and white dwarfs - borderline ::: the black keys - her eyes are a blue million miles 7" released by nonesuch/warner bros in 2009. get them both.
like the closing track, the opening song on an album is a pretty crucial selection. just like the opening line of a novel. which song do you choose to draw your listener? do you start quietly - a bold move forcing the listener to move in closer, pay more attention. or do you charge out of trap, loud and proud screaming attention? in the first of what may or may not be a series, here's track 1 of a few recent/upcoming releases. ::: harappian night recordings - mal de ojo from "the glorious [...]
possibly my favourite idaho 7"? jeff martin just sounds so wonderfully tired . mix that with some atmospheric guitar distortion, as on "fall around" and i'm yours. 7" released by caroline in 1993. slooooowcore.
an effortless cover of the pj harvey song by o and friends. fluf isn't a band you hear much about these days. someone should put that right. 7" released by goldenrod in 1993. bring back flipside.
whether it's a coincidence or a direct response, newcastle label slampt rode somewhere close to the crest of the uk riot grrrl movement all the way from meldon terrace to my hot little hand in the rough trade shop in covent garden. their third release, this compilation captured the appeal of the label: raw, immediate, unpretentious, lo-fi, cheap as fuck fun. while pete and rachel could cometimes be accused of taking these things far too seriously (check the first red monkey lp liner notes and photos for instance), at this early stage in the game they mixed the [...]
it was slagging this record off in kylie fanzine that got me in touch with andy from linus . and while much of what i said at the time was complete bollocks, i still don't think this is a very good record, with most of the blame lying at the feet of bikini kill. "white boy" is great, but the rest, let's be honest, is pretty crap. huggy bear were a far superior band, more inventive, more subtle, more melodic, blending raw nation of ulysses-style punk, bubblegum pop and lo-fi vulnerability. sorry about the skip at the [...]
gideon coe broadcast these tracks earlier today on 6 music and i duly recorded them for you, my valued reader. actually that's not true, i recorded them for me - your pleasure is but an inconsequential bonus. er, anyway, i've written about cable before so shan't explain again why you should love and cherish all their records. only four songs sadly: ::: sale of the century ::: seventy ::: where heaven ::: blind man grrrr.
the beauty of the tape compilation is that you had 90 minutes to stuff it with whatever you fancied. sure that means there's normally a fair amount of crap to wade through till you find the oysters, but so often the oysters aren't where you'd expect. cakehole was one of the better tape labels, one that seemed to actually have some kind of quality threshold. and this comp was their fiftieth release, a kind of "state of the label" release if you will. and if the title is anything to go by, then clearly we need to redefine [...]
i sometimes think gbv were at their best on a scratchy little 7" ep like this, throwing out gems like the rest of us throw out empty coke cans. opening "scalding creek" is possibly one of my favourite gby songs ever, and given the huge number they released, that's saying a lot. 7" released by slitbreeze in 1994. we were thinking about drinking, oh yeah.
arguably ligament's finest moment. 6 minutes of propulsive camden-etched indie rock recorded on robin proper-sheppard's "old bestsy satan" 8-track. bit of a crackly rip this. one day i'll invest in some anti static stuff. one day. 7" released by the flower shop in 1994. thank you for my pumping heart.
here's a mix of songs perfect for a sunny sunday afternoon like this one (here in atlanta at least). ::: the don isaac ezekiel combination - amalinja* ::: doug martsch - offer ::: thistletown - rosemarie ::: school of language - rockist part 4 ::: cloudland canyon - dambala ::: teitur - your great book ::: the sahara all stars of jos - feso jaiye* ::: d_radio - papel soul ::: oh laura - black n' blue *both from this great compilation a friend sent me called "nigeria special: modern highlife, afro-sounds and nigerian [...]
this record came like a bolt from the blue courtesy, as usual, of john peel. combining an infectiously ramshackle tune with a litany of people who suck (bowie, lou reed, elvis, tom jones, nietsche...), it represents a pinnacle that new bad things never again achieved. the other two songs on this single are pretty good too though. as a bonus, here's an alternative version, not sure of the provenance of this - i got it on a compilation of festive fifty tracks. ::: new bad things - i suck 7" released [...]
i must thank last fm user connecti_cut , and our previous papa sprain benefactor, darren durham, once of fortdax , for passing this on. as i've said before, there were precious few papa sprain releases, so getting hold of a new one is pure gold. especially this session, which displays a slightly less "feathered" version of the band, giving what i imagine is a fairly good impression of the band as a live act. ::: time bath ::: i got stop ::: you are ten million needless people ::: cliff tune you can read [...]
moira lambert is best known for being the singer on st etienne's "only love can break your heart", but she had a band of her own, one that was perfectly capable of scaling the same heights as that single, albeit in a gentler fashion. i saw them once, supporting the house of love at ulu, a set that i remember chiefly for being jealous of the bass player's fender jazz bass and sceptical of moira's head scarf. sadly i can't remember much about the performance or what they played, but i like to think it was rather like [...]
think of this as a more grown up statement of intent than the "kisser boy kisser girl" compilation (which i'll get round to posting eventually - need to re-rip it), demonstrating that the uk riot grrrl scene was not about huggy bear alone. this double 7" packages together some of the earliest vinyl offerings from linus, skinned teen, pussycat trash and comet gain, all of whom deliver prime examples of what they're about. from the playground chants of skinned teen to the lo-fi heavenly of comet gain, from the 3-chord confrontation of pussycat trash to the politicised indie [...]
the blackened air
Sleigh Bells - Demons (Official Music Video)
The Rains of Castamere by The National
A-Trak & Dillon Francis - "Money Makin'" (Official Video)
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Nas - Daughters
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
Mr Fogg - Eleven
